Electrolytic system



Aug. 7, 1962 R. c. SABINS 3,048,535

ELECTROLYTIC SYSTEM Filed March 22, 1960 FIG.

FIG. 2

28 3O STEEL 4Q 5407/ F/CIAL All/00E INVENTOR. ROLLA ND 0. SA BINS BY fim wm a u-m ATTORNEYS i atented Aug. 7, 1962 3,048,535 ELECTROLYTIC SYSTEM Rolland C. Sahins, 522 Catalina Blvd, San Diego, (lalii. Filed Mar. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 18,218 4 Claims. (Cl. 204-197) The present invention relates to anodes and anode supports, particularly to such anodes and supports therefor as are used in steel hull ships for protecting the ship against galvanic dissolution. This application is a continua-tion-in-part of my co-pending application Serial No. 688,675, filed October 7, 1957, now abandoned.

The present invention comprises an impervious casing which has an opening for receiving an anode. The casing extends inwardly of the hull of the ship and the opening therein is aligned with an opening in the ships hull, and, the end of easing, having the opening, is hermetically sealed to the bull to thereby close the opening in the hull against entrance of water to the interior of the ship. Supporting rods are embedded in the anode and extend to the margin at the front of the anode, and these rods are attached, preferably by welding, to the hull.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a ships hull, showing one use of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 but on a larger scale;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the anode taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the steel hull is shown at 28. The water line on the hull is indicated by line 22 when the barge is empty and indicated by line 24 when the barge is filled. A plurality of, preferably, circular holes are cut through the steel side walls 26 of the hull. One of these holes is more clearly shown in FIG. 2 at 28. These holes are drilled below the water line 22.

Impervious, steel casings 30 enclose each of these holes 28. These openings 28 and the peripheral surface of the casing may be of any desired shape, but it is preferred to form the same of pipe, by cutting off sections of pipe and then closing one end thereof by a wall 32 welded at 34 to the inner end of the casing. The outer end of the casing 30 is welded as at 36 to the inner periphery of the hole 28.

The anode 40 is preferably constructed so as to substantially fill the entire casing 30. Here the anode is shown as being a cylinder. A series of metallic supporting steel rods 4-2 are embedded in the metal anode 40' as is more clearly shown in FIG. 4. These rods may be joined with one another as at 44- and extended forwardly to the front of the anode and to the marginal front edge of the anode. The ends 46 thereof are welded to the hull and the front of the casing 30. This anode may be formed of any suitable anodic material such as magnesium alloy or zinc.

When it is necessary to renew an anode, a cutting torch is used to sever the rod at the hull. A new anode is then inserted into the casing 30 and the ends of the rods 46 welded in place. i

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided a simple and inexpensive anode support for a steel ship hull. It is understood by those skilled in the art that such anode or sacrificial metal is used for protecting the ships hull and other components of the ship against corrosion.

While the form of embodiment herein shown and described constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms may be adopted falling within the scope of the claims that follow.

I claim:

I. in combination, a steel ship hull having an opening therein below the water line; an impervious steel casing having an opening, said casing extending into the hull, the walls of the casing, adjacent the open end, being hermetically sealed and electrically connected to the hall at said opening in the bull to thereby close the latter opening; an anode of sacrificial metal disposed within and substantially filling the steel casing, said anode does not extend beyond the outer surface of the hull, said anode having a steel supporting rod embedded therein, said rod having an end projecting slightly outwardly from the casing, the projecting end of the rod being attached to the hull.

2. in combination, a steel ship hull having an opening therein below the water line; an impervious steel casing having an opening, said casing extending into the hull, the walls of the casing, adjacent the open end, being hermetically sealed and electrically connected to the hull at said opening in the hull to thereby close the latter opening; an anode of sacrificial metal disposed within and substantialiy filling the steel casing, said anode does not extend beyond the outer surface of the hull, said anode having a steel supporting rod embedded therein, said rod having an end projecting slightly outwardly from the casing, the projecting end of the rod being welded to the hull.

3. In combination, a steel ship hull having an opening therein below the water line; an impervious steel casing having an opening, said casing extending into the hull, the walls of the casing, adjacent the open end, being hermetically sealed and electrically connected to the hull at said opening in the hull to thereby close the latter opening; an anode of sacrificial metal disposed within and substantially filling the steel casing, said anode does not extend beyond the outer surface of the hull, said anode having a steel supporting rod embedded therein, said rod having an end projecting to the margin of the anode, the projecting end of the rod extending slightly outwardly of the casing and being attached to the hull.

4. In combination, a steel ship hull having an opening therein below the water line; an impervious steel casing having an opening, said casing extending into the hull, the walls of the casing, adjacent the open end, being hermetically sealed and electrically connected to the hull at said opening in the hull to thereby close the latter opening; an anode of sacrificial metal disposed within and substantially filling the steel casing, said anode does not extend beyond the outer surface of the hull, said anode having a steel supporting rod embedded therein, said rod having an end projecting to the margin of the anode, the projecting end of the rod extending slightly outwardly of the casing and being welded to the hull.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 999,108 Hickey July 25, 1911 1,900,011 Durham Mar. 7, 1933 2,721,172 Higgins Sept. 18, 1955 2,805,987 Thorn et al Sept. 10, 1957 2,878,173 Obermann Mar. 17, 1959 2,934,485 Sabins Apr. 26, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 719,427 Great Britain Dec. 1, 1954 780,348 Great Britain July 31, 1957 

1. IN COMBINATION, A STEEL SHIP HULL HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN BELOW THE WATER LINE; AN IMPERVIOUS STEEL CASING HAVING AN OPENING, SAID CASING EXTENDING INTO THE HULL, THE WALLS OF THE CASING, ADJACENT THE OPEN END, BEING HERMETICALLY SEALED AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE HULL AT SAID OPENING IN THE HULL TO THEREBY CLOSE THE LATTER OPENING; AN ANODE OF SACRIFICIAL METAL DISPOSED WITHIN AND SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING THE STEEL CASING, SAID ANODE DOES NOT EXTEND BEYOND THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE HULL, SAID ANODE HAVING A STEEL SUPPORTING ROD EMBEDDED THEREIN, SAID ROD HAVING AN END PROJECTING SLIGHTLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE CASING, THE PROJECTING END OF THE ROD BEING ATTACHED TO THE HULL 